It should work equally well with four-strokes in addition to two-strokes. The octane rating of the ethanol/gasoline combo should be high enough not to cause preignition problems.

I favor the spark ignition system because it permits one to tune the mixture much leaner, without worrying about advancing the timing too much, as with a glow plug. The leaner mixture also reduces the amount of oil expelled by the engine.

Power output will be down slightly from methanol and oil only, but you recover a tad bit of that by running a leaner mixture with the ethanol/gasoline combo, minus the boost of nitromethane you might have used in conventional fuel. Those desiring top performance will not be interested in this approach. Those happy with a little less power at a big savings in fuel cost will be shickled titless.


Ed Cregger